


a strange night

by jack_inaboxx



Series: crack in the glass [20]
Category: Original Work, Star Trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:28:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24563134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jack_inaboxx/pseuds/jack_inaboxx
Summary: Surik is beginning to think that he will never understand humans.
Series: crack in the glass [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774129





	a strange night

Surik finds the Captain staring out his window again. This is not something that Surik understands; it happens often after a mission that the Captain finds troubling. He will finish all the post-mission work required of him, perform a final check, and then retreat to his ready room, pretending to busy himself for as long as possible before he eventually has to speak to Commander Ryder. 

(He wishes that the name had not stuck. It would be more logical to call the Commander by his last name, as is typical, but the entirety of the crew is intent on calling the Commander by this nickname. He found that he had begun getting odd looks when he had tried to continue calling the Commander Cavalcante, and so chose to abandon that particular restriction. Not that he understands that, either. He has added fourteen more items to his list of illogical human behaviors that somehow work out since being transferred to this ship.)

This time, it is taking the Captain approximately six hours longer than it takes most times to give in to the human need to discuss their troubles. If Surik had been human, he might have been anxious, or worried. While he is _concerned_ , he considers this acceptable, given the… intense circumstances on the last mission. 

Ryder, though worried, has remained at a distance, going so far as to avoid the bridge completely. In fact, Surik has observed that the entire bridge crew, the ones closest to the Captain, are all subdued and quiet. Instead of the usual busy hum, the bridge is alight with murmurs, worried and even afraid. 

This is another thing he does not understand. The tension on the last mission was no different than the Brignan Encounter, nor the Eighth Vonaban Incursion. Why, then, does the Captain react so differently?

The Ensign nearby slides easily into his seat as he stands and moves away, towards the ready room. For a moment, he feels all eyes on him, and then they fall away as the door closes behind him. 

Surik finds the Captain staring out his window again. 

He still does not understand. For now, he does not speak, only observing. The Captain does not seem to notice him, or at least, he does not show it. Surik is not sure what to do, from here. It is the logical assumption that the Captain needs to speak to someone about how he is feeling, but Surik does not know how to go about that. 

“Ryder knows better than to talk to me now. Most of the crew take his example.” The Captain’s voice is low, and oddly rough. A bottle of old whiskey is on the table, empty. Another rests near it, half-full, and the Captain is holding a glass with what would logically be whiskey in it. “Surik. What do you need?” 

“I am…. concerned.” He chooses his words delicately; the Captain is clearly in a state of deep distress, and is as such unpredictable. It begins to occur to him that perhaps he is ‘in over his head’. 

“Concerned. Thought that was an emotion.” The Captain- though Surik gets the distinct impression that he does not consider himself a Captain right now- sounds bitter. Yes… he is definitely in over his head. 

“I can think of no other way to phrase it.” He takes a slow step forward. “You… seem…” he does not have the words. “It is logical to conclude that you need assistance.” 

“There’s nothing _logical_ about trauma, Surik.” This is even quieter, and the Captain’s gaze shifts from the stars (though he gets the odd impression that it had not been the stars, but the void around them, that the Captain had been looking at) and down. “Nothing logical at all.” 

Ah. He is familiar with this phenomenon. He believes that Doctor Aston would call it ‘moping’. Though he, too, has been staring at the door to the ready room with a deep frown, implying that it is something more. 

“Understood, Captain.” He hardly manages to get this out before the Captain snaps at him. 

“ _Do not call me that!_ I have not earnt it, and I proved that just today.” This is when he begins on a tirade in French, a language that Surik does not speak. When it finally seems to slow, he takes a breath to speak again, only to realize- the Captain- Duval is crying. Shivering breaths, hitching sobs, and his shoulders are shaking. 

“… Marc?” he tries, almost at a loss and experimenting whether following what he knows of human friendships will be enough. Duval does not respond, but he seems to stop crying, or at least quieter, softer. “Marc. I do not see the logic in insisting that one incident somehow proves you are unfit to be Captain when so many other incidents, by the same logic, prove that you _are_.” 

There is silence for a time. When it hits near on ten minutes, he wonders if he had made a mistake. And then, the Captain speaks. 

“You’re right.” A muffled laugh. “Of course you’re right.” The glass is set down, though the Captain still does not turn around. “I wondered why Ash recommended you.” The Chief Medical Officer? How… fascinating. 

“Are you feeling well, Captain?” he inquires, attempting to seem impartial, when really he is… genuinely concerned. Humans are odd beings. 

“Yes. Yes, I think so. Could you send Commander Ryder to me, please?” the Captain asks, sounding distant. He has returned to watching the stars (or the darkness around them). 

“Of course.” He frowns slightly, not understanding any more than he had when he walked in. If anything, he is only more confused by the nature of humanity. 

When Surik leaves the ready room, all eyes immediately move to him. He keeps a carefully straight face, and moves over to the turbolift. The computer informs him that the Commander is in 10-Forward, and so he proceeds there. 

He finds Commander Ryder at the bar, looking almost as unhappy as the Captain had. The Commander does not acknowledge him, either. A curious sort of action, especially when he is fully aware that _they_ are aware of _him_. 

“Commander,” he begins, quietly, but says nothing more. It is another several moments before the Commander responds, and even then it is not with words, but a grunt to show that he is listening. “The Captain has asked to speak to you.” That gets more of one; Commander Ryder actually looks at him. 

“You spoke to him?” is the first sentence, followed quickly by “Is he alright?” 

“I am not sure,” he answers, slowly. “I do not understand much of what he said to me. Perhaps I should put learning French higher on my list of priorities.” For some reason, this amuses the Commander a great deal. 

“We,” he says, though he pronounces it strangely. “It’d be the, heh, _logical_ thing to do.” Surik raises an eyebrow, but that only seems to add to the Commander’s amusement. Still chuckling, he slides off the stool, and walks out, most likely towards the bridge. 

Well. Surik would _like_ to say that this had been a fascinating experience, and an opportunity to learn a great deal, but he finds that he only has more questions. 

No wonder his father had only shaken his head when he told him he wanted to join Starfleet. 


End file.
